Old interior doors--against code? - Landlord Forum thread 350170

Old interior doors--against code? by David (TX) on January 16, 2017 @11:17

I have an old house that has some interior doors that have broken hardware. Currently using a hook to close them--functional but not ideal.

Tenant is complaining so I'm looking into getting them fixed. Probably looking at several thousand though, since the doors will have to be totally replaced (they are old and non-standard, can't just put on new hardware).

The code says interior doors must have "lever door hardware". Do I have a legal obligation to fix the doors, or are they grandfathered in?

I'm going to do this repair, it's a matter of when.

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Re: Old interior doors--against code? by Garry on January 16, 2017 @12:42	[ Reply ]

You may not have a "legal" obligation right NOW to fix them, but if your tenant complains to a local housing or building code official, the official could do a housing inspection on your property, and require you to repair or replace the doors according to their local code. And they usually don't give you more than 1-2 months to fix the problem, before they want back in again to check on your progress. Plus they may find other things wrong with your property, also, on that inspection. So you really don't want them in if you can help it. My suggestion is to measure the doors, and check at Lowe's , Home Depot, etc. to see if they have doors that come close to your door sizes, and replace them. In most cases, even doors on 100 year old homes can be matched to modern door sizes. And some doors can be cut down to fit a certain width, or door frames can be added to the top or side to make the door fit properly. But get it done soon, before the T finds MORE things to complain about. (and before you have to deal with housing inspectors)